Lionel Messi has added another milestone to his collecting resume. The 2026 Argentina Topps NOW Final Farewell Pack finished with a print run of 664,325, giving it the highest sales total in Topps NOW history and unlocking the program’s first-ever 1/1 White OpalFractor Chrome card.
The release moved past the previous Topps NOW benchmark set by Shohei Ohtani’s 50/50 milestone card, which reached 653,737. It also cleared the Olympic basketball card featuring LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, a release that hit 588,030 and stood among the biggest modern Topps NOW successes.
For collectors, the number itself is significant. For the hobby, the bigger story may be what it says about global demand for Messi cards, the strength of international soccer in the card market, and the growing power of event-driven releases that reach buyers in real time.
Messi’s Final Farewell Pack becomes the new Topps NOW benchmark
A 664,325 print run is a massive figure for any modern card release, especially for a direct-order product tied to a specific moment. In this case, the release was centered on Messi’s Argentina farewell theme, and the response pushed it beyond every previous Topps NOW card.
For more collector background, read Top 3 Topps Fire Baseball Card Sales Ever: Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge Lead the List.
That total did more than break a record. It created a new ceiling for what a sports card release in the Topps NOW format can do when a transcendent athlete, a major career moment and a worldwide fan base all line up at once.
Topps Senior Vice President of Product Clay Luraschi described the demand as the result of several hobby forces converging. He pointed to Messi’s career accomplishments, the passion of his international collector base, the continued rise of soccer cards and the increasing popularity of the Topps NOW platform itself.
The final number also matters because Topps NOW is built around momentum. Releases are typically available for a limited time, which creates urgency and puts immediate attention on milestone moments. Messi’s pack did not just perform well inside that structure. It redefined what the structure can produce.
What collectors received in the Messi Final Farewell Pack
The Final Farewell Pack was not a single-card release. It was built as a two-card offering with chase potential layered into the product.
Each pack includes:
- A Farewell base card, parallel or autograph
- A variation or short print
Collectors also had the chance to chase four different 1/1 Messi autograph cards, giving the release another level of high-end appeal beyond the standard print-run milestones. That structure helped make the pack attractive to both casual buyers and dedicated Messi collectors looking for premium hits.
In a release of this scale, chase design matters. The broad print run shows mass demand, but premium inserts and ultra-rare autograph opportunities help sustain long-term interest after the ordering window closes. That combination is one reason this particular Topps NOW drop drew so much attention across different segments of the hobby.
The White OpalFractor milestone finally arrives
The record-setting print run did more than establish a new sales high. It also unlocked a card Topps NOW had never produced before: a single 1/1 White OpalFractor Chrome card.
Topps NOW uses print-run thresholds to determine which Chrome parallels become available in major releases. Those milestone levels create a layered chase system that rewards exceptionally strong sales.
The progression works like this:
- At 50,000, Chrome parallels numbered to 99 and 50 are unlocked
- At 100,000, additional parallels become available along with a 1/1 Superfractor
- At 250,000, Opal Chrome parallels are introduced
- At 500,000, a single 1/1 White OpalFractor Chrome card is unlocked
Messi’s Final Farewell Pack did not just reach that top mark. It blew past it by more than 164,000 copies, making the White OpalFractor a reality in emphatic fashion.
That matters because the White OpalFractor had existed as a theoretical reward level rather than an actual card in collector hands. Many big Topps NOW releases have flirted with major numbers, but none had previously reached the 500,000 threshold needed to bring the card into existence.
Now one collector will have the chance to pull the first example ever made under the program’s milestone system when packs begin shipping.
Why this release hit such a massive number
Messi has long been one of the most collected athletes in the world, but this result points to more than star power alone. Several market trends likely helped drive the final total.
First is Messi’s unmatched global recognition. Few athletes can motivate demand across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East all at once. Soccer cards have become far more international in the last several years, and Messi remains one of the hobby’s most universal names.
Second is the nature of the moment. Retirement-themed and farewell-related issues often carry stronger emotional pull than standard highlight cards. Collectors tend to view them as historical markers rather than just another release.
Third is the Topps NOW model itself. Because these cards are tied so closely to a current event, they can capture energy while the story is still fresh. That immediacy gives them a different feel from traditional set-based releases that may arrive months later.
Luraschi said Topps intentionally sets ambitious chase targets for major NOW releases, even with no guarantee a card will ever hit the upper tier. In Messi’s case, the combination of career stature and collector enthusiasm turned that challenge into a landmark result.
How the record reshapes the Topps NOW leaderboard
Before Messi’s latest release, Ohtani’s 50/50 milestone card stood as the standard at 653,737. That number was widely viewed as one of the most impressive print runs in the program’s history, especially given Ohtani’s reach across both baseball and the broader memorabilia market.
Messi’s Final Farewell Pack has now moved to the top of the list. The Olympic basketball card featuring James, Curry and Durant remains another major landmark release at 588,030, showing how crossover interest and star power can elevate a Topps NOW issue beyond a typical print run.
Messi also already owned another place near the top. His previous Argentina retirement announcement card reached 335,283, giving him two of the five highest print runs in Topps NOW history. Jack Hughes’ Olympic goal card, at 332,447, rounds out that upper tier as well.
That kind of repeat performance is notable. It suggests Messi is not simply benefiting from one unusually strong release. He has become one of the defining athletes in the history of the Topps NOW platform, with multiple cards performing at elite levels.
What this says about new collectors entering the hobby
One of the more important details tied to the release is that it reportedly brought in a record number of first-time Topps NOW buyers. That may be one of the most meaningful outcomes from a long-term hobby perspective.
Big event cards can act as entry points. A fan who may not consider themselves a traditional card collector might still buy a release connected to a once-in-a-generation athlete or a farewell moment with emotional significance. Once those buyers enter the Topps NOW ecosystem, some will likely continue into other releases, sports and product lines.
That onboarding effect has become increasingly important as the hobby expands globally. Soccer, in particular, has been one of the clearest growth categories for international participation, and Messi remains one of the easiest athletes through whom to attract new buyers.
The milestone also arrives during the 10th anniversary period for Topps NOW, underscoring how far the brand has evolved. What started as a niche, moment-based concept has become a major force in modern collecting, capable of producing record-setting sports and non-sports releases alike.
Topps NOW’s broader momentum beyond traditional sports cards
The Messi release also fits into a bigger picture. Topps NOW has expanded well beyond straightforward game-performance cards and now regularly intersects with major sports storylines, cultural moments and crossover news.
Among the recent examples cited around the program’s growth are LeBron James’ partnership with Topps tied to his move to the Philadelphia 76ers and a card commemorating the election of Pope Leo XIV, which sold 133,535 copies and set a non-sports Topps NOW record.
That range shows why Topps NOW has become such a flexible product line. It can react quickly to a championship, a retirement, a debut, a transfer, a record or even a major moment outside sports. For collectors, the appeal is often in the speed. A significant event happens, and the card follows shortly after while interest is still at its peak.
Messi’s record proves that this immediacy can scale to extraordinary levels when the subject carries worldwide relevance.
What collectors should watch next
The immediate chase now centers on the pack-out. Final Farewell Packs are expected to begin shipping in November, and that is when the hunt for the first 1/1 White OpalFractor Chrome card will truly start.
Collectors will also be tracking the four different 1/1 Messi autograph cards included in the release. Given the print run and the international attention around the product, any major pull tied to this pack is likely to draw significant secondary-market interest once examples begin surfacing.
There is also a bigger product question for Topps. With the 500,000 threshold now finally broken, the company has reached the top of its existing Chrome milestone ladder. Luraschi indicated that the challenge now is to find new ways to raise the bar and create even more compelling chase elements for future Topps NOW releases.
That leaves the Messi Final Farewell Pack in a unique place. It is not just the newest sales leader. It is the release that pushed Topps NOW into previously untouched territory, created the first White OpalFractor in the program and set a new target for every major event card that follows.
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